Brian Solecki

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Info

Seminars: We’re Here to Serve
Currently serving as: Police Chaplain: Chico Police & Pastor to Youth @ Bidwell Presbyterian Church
Credentials: Ordained in the ECC, Master’s Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary
URL: www.solecki.net

Bio

Spiritual journey: I grew up in Northern California in a non-Christian home with almost no exposure to the church or gospel story.  It was in junior high school that a group of students from youth group reached out to me and brought me to church. From that moment of experiencing Christ, I have been on a wild journey of faith and adventure. It is my own story that informs my heart for students to understand the impact they can have on their peers, families, community and world.

Call to ministry:  In college, friends and leaders began to sense a calling to ministry for me.  I was initially resistant and God began to speak louder, opening doors and preparing a path that became impossible to not walk down.  I am called to serve in youth ministry and to communicate the gospel to young people.  I believe the church will crumble if we do not more effectively speak to the up and coming generations and see them take the reigns of our churches. I absolutely love seeing students engage with Christ and live out their relationship with Him in their daily context.

I am passionate about:  Jesus, my wife and three kids, pastoring young people, their families and the outdoors.  You can find me regularly on my mountain-bike exploring the mountains of our community and Northern California.  Our family tries to spend as much time as possible camping, hiking, paddle-boarding, kayaking, climbing trees and rocks, and jumping into mountain swimming holes.

As I gain more gray hairs, I am more and more passionate about investing in the up and coming leaders of the church.  I love the ECC.  I try and find opportunities to engage with, care for and mentor other pastors and leaders there.  For some reason God has me on this journey of not currently serving in an ECC church, but it has been a life changing experience to be sent by Ordered Ministry into Chaplaincy with the Chico Police Department while also serving a local church.  I look forward to engaging my brothers and sisters in the ECC as we “Love the Cov” together in ministry.

How long have you been involved in ministry? My youth pastor got me involved in volunteer ministry when I was a freshman in high school.  I think I was probably more trouble than worth the effort, but it was the foundation of my call to ministry. I continued to volunteer through college. I took my first staff position in college, then spent nearly 10 years as the Senior High Pastor at University Covenant Church, in Davis CA.  I have been serving in Chico for over 6 years as I pastor to the Police department, community, college and church. I lead an outreach service meeting in a local historic theater with the specific task of engaging youth, college students and young adults.

What do you think is important that we know about you, as a member of the Speaker Team? I am looking forward to having a good time with your ECC students and leaders.  I hope we laugh together, have great fun together and experience the Word in a transformational manner.  I believe as a speaker my role is to set up your youth leaders to go deeper with students and carry on what begins at a retreat back into regular life.  I use scripture, narrative, story, and humor to engage all ages as a tool to draw them deeper into God’s story and to discover their place in it. One of my favorite parts of speaking at events is the conversations that happen in the quiet of the morning and evening with your students and leaders.

I also have specialized training in Critical Incident Stress Management through my work as a Police Chaplain so I have a lot of experience dealing with trauma, loss and stress from crisis that could develop in a church or youth group community.  Please contact me if I can support your ministry in any way. I am looking forward to supporting your ministry.

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